New Tool (2.8): Automatron

Tool page:
http://www.renoise.com/tools/automatron

Go forth and automate, my friends.

Questions, comments, suggestions – always welcome.

Source code always available at:

I love you,
-Harold

2 Likes

Excellent tool! :drummer:

Absolutely superb. The input divisor makes this perfect. Thank you so much. :D

v4 is working really nice! The only thing I could think of to possibly improve this tool is adding a parameter to actually set the step length, just so we don’t have to keep switching focus back and forth to another window when setting lengths. Maybe just a group of buttons with the most commonly used step lengths like: 1,2,3,4,6,8 12, 16, 24 32 etc. Would this be useful or am I just being crazy?

it should be possible to somehow send the global renoise shortcuts (like setting steplength using crl+numbers) while the tool gui is open (if not already taken, reserved by the tool for triggering other stuff). I quoted a code snippet in the originating thread for passing through the undo shortcut…

Yea I’ve been using the ctrl+numbers like usual but have to click back on the renoise window every time before it works here, I was just trying to think of a way to avoid that. It’s not really a big deal, just trying to think of anything to possibly speed up workflow. :D

edit: ahh Just realized If I use the qwerty shortcuts instead of clicking on the shapes with the mouse, it will stay focused so I can use the ctrl+numbers =)

Very nice tool! Easy to use and fast workflow.

Maybe you could add a flat “all zero” shape? It’s possible to achieve it already with the flat “all one” and setting the ceiling at 0, but this would be faster, e.g. to erase a misplaced step.

Or maybe an “erase step” button… Or maybe both! ^ ^

+1 theres space for 2 buttons there and both would be useful.

Using the keys while moving the slider is great. Thanks again!

I was thinking the same, it would be great if the next version could look something like this :)

just downloaded. MAD!!!.

Just released v5:

Tool page:
http://www.renoise.com/tools/automatron

New stuff:

  • More shapes: off, trapezoids, sin-down.
  • Pattern effects: Press buttons to make interesting edits to the whole pattern.
  • ctrl-1, ctrl-2, ctrl-3, etc work as expected. Also ctrl-` sets max edit step.
  • ctrl-z/y, undo/redo work a bit better from within the tool.

Source code (as always):

I love you,
-Harold

p.s. Would love more ideas for pattern effects. This seems like an area ripe for innovation. Put those thinking caps on as you automate. :)

Nice! :drummer:

Generating a bunch of different shapes, then pressing fade out gave me:

Love the pattern effects by the way!

Hmm, haven’t seen this in the testing I did. Any chance for better steps to reproduce?

-Harold

nope, can’t really tell what has caused it, maybe some rounding error? Haven’t been able to reproduce btw, since first encounter after installing.

Ok, if we hit it a lot I can do a silly hax. These kinds of off-by-one errors can happen pretty easily. Let me know if you find a way to repro it.

-Harold

Cool, will do.

By the way for pattern effects, please consider non-linear fading too (exponential, logarithmic etc)! Maybe have the shape icons serving a toggle-able double purpose in your tool? One for the current automation generation part and one for transforming existing automation, for example have gradual step-wise in/out fading for a patterns worth of automation using the staircase icons.

Also it would be nice if the pattern effects would work on a scope larger then 1 pattern, but maybe you’re treading too much automasher territory? ;)

Another thing that could be interesting would be some kind of zig-zag effect (I’ve proposed a tool idea for this some time ago, though it concerns pattern command values, similar idea could be applied to the automation editor, maybe: [Tool Idea] Zig Zag Note Event Panning ).

And throwing more ideas out there, how about some sorting algorithms ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorting_algorithm )to place, shuffle existing automation in another order?

Great updates,

Getting this every time I click ‘fadeout’ When having lots of points, I use 12LPB if thay means anything?

'C:\Documents and Settings\Ian\Application Data\Renoise\V2.8.0\Scripts\Tools\com.harold.Automatron.xrnx\main.lua' failed in one of its notifiers.  
  
Please contact the author (harold | hhausman@gmail.com) for assistance...  
  
std::logic_error: 'automation.point: invalid point value. value must be >= 0.0 and <= 1.0'  
stack traceback:  
 [C]: ?  
 [C]: in function '__newindex'  
 [string "do..."]:22: in function   
 main.lua:307: in function 'process_points'  
 main.lua:252: in function <250><br>```

<br>
<br>
<br>
Also getting the same thing with fade in:<br>
<br>
<br>

```<br>'C:\Documents and Settings\Ian\Application Data\Renoise\V2.8.0\Scripts\Tools\com.harold.Automatron.xrnx\main.lua' failed in one of its notifiers.<br>
<br>
Please contact the author (harold | hhausman@gmail.com) for assistance...<br>
<br>
std::logic_error: 'automation.point: invalid point value. value must be &gt;= 0.0 and &lt;= 1.0'<br>
stack traceback:<br>
  [C]: ?<br>
  [C]: in function '__newindex'<br>
  [string "do..."]:22: in function <br>
  main.lua:307: in function 'process_points'<br>
  main.lua:242: in function <240><br>```

</240></250>

Zip-zag like along these lines?

Afraid it only does whole pattern and really needs some refining! (EG uses Record so will write to Automation or Pattern Effects depending on Renoise’s settings and makes it hard to adjust etc.)

This has very quickly turned into my most used tool.
Huge respect and appreciation, for making this :D

yeah, it’s cool, but there’s something that doesn’t feel right to me, and that is the tool settings taking over the edit-step cursor behavior. I’d like my cursor navigating in the pattern editor always be 1, be separate from a shape’s size, so I can quickly go to a note.

  • another request: have the pattern effects work on a mouse selection made in the automation editor, so you can select a portion and apply fade’s to only that selected section! :yeah: